Does this stink, or what? The little town of Big Stone Gap in the heart of Virginia’s Appalachian coalfields finally has a shot at national recognition. New Yorker Adriana Trigiani, who grew up in the old coal mining town, has written a series of novels set there. And now, Storefront Pictures wants to make a movie, “Big Stone Gap,” which Trigiani would direct. And where will the movie be filmed?
South Carolina!
Explains the “Film Big Stone Gap in the Gap” website:
Production developments could shift the filming to another state, except for the shooting of a few local scenes. The problem centers around generous financial incentives offered by the state of South Carolina, which is aggressively seeking to expand its attraction as a site for film making, versus modest incentives offered by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Film Office.
A flurry of publicity occurred about a year ago — and I missed it. No one in the Richmond media appears to have picked up on it. At the beginning of the year, coalfield politicians were mobilizing to raise money to best South Carolina’s offer. The Tobacco Commission approved a $300,000 grant, and the Wise County board of supervisors beseeched the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority to kick in another $500,000. Del. Brian Moran, D-Alexandria, promised to do what he could to help.
Big Stone Gap is unique. I have vivid memories of the place, which I drove through often during my stint covering the coalfields for the Roanoke Times. I can’t imagine that any site in South Carolina would do it justice. But, then, I’m not really sure that subsidizing the film production to the tune of $1 million is the best way to invest scarce economic development dollars for the coalfield region.
Is anyone up to speed on this project? Where does it stand?
By the way, Big Hollywood movie producers, whatever happened to artistic integrity?